Bipolar Disorder Forum - Bipolar Support

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Do you know what bipolar is exactly? And what types of bipolar do doctors classify and diagnose? Learn more basics about bipolar disorder here....

Do you think meds avail. for Bipolar harm more?

Yes
No

20% [ 1 ]

80% [ 4 ]

Total Votes : 5

Q: Bipolar Support

asked by: djphoenix18 on October 24th, 2005

New User

I just came across this website and was thinking that this particular thread can be a big help to me and to other people as well who browse this site...

Im 24 years old and a diagnosed bipolar 2 patient... I was diagnoses about 4 years ago and have been through maybe 4-5 phychiatrists and maybe the same number of pschologists... The first pshychiatrist I saw did a number of testing batteries on me and found my behavior to be conducive to a bipolar patient... This was all done when I was still under my fathers insurance plan, so thank god I had this oppurtunity... Unfortunately though, when the first doc I went to prescribed me depakote, I was not constant with the meds and did not follow through with the cognitive treatment plan I was recieving from the psychologists...

These are the meds I have taken throughout these four years; depakote, celexa, risperadol, tegretol, lexapro, and another one I cant think of the name...

As I went through these meds, and the side effects, I said to myself one day that I could handle the situation without them, and abadoned my search for the medications that could help me...

The side effects ranged from, decreased libido, hair loss, to nausea, and light-headedness... To me, this was unacceptable... I couldnt really bear them all, I felt like a zombie...

Honestly, I felt like the doctor who I was seeing, who was one of the best physchatrists in the world (supposedly) was just using me as a guinea pig in terms of all the meds...

Anyways, here I am about a year later, and I have been off my meds, but still the mood swings are there, and as are a few other traits...

Im curious as to what most of you here think about bipolar, are you unsure of the medications aspect of the treatment, are you indifferent??

If any of you are bipolar and have some advice on how I can handle the mood swings, I would be very much thankful for it...

From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe that those of us who have bipolar disorder can be led to believe many things that are not true about us... How meds are the only way out, and since not much is known about bipolar disorder, we can be led to believe things that arent true... The toying around with medications is just insane, and some of these newer meds sideffects will not be known for years...

Anyways, sorry for the rant, but it just frustrates me... But please, if you have any information on how to work with bipolar or anything, I would greatly appreciate it...

Regards...

Replies(2)

BPjoe23

replied on October 25th, 2005

Experienced User

I hate to sound rude, but if you had all those side effects why didn't you talk to your doctor about them.. You have to do your part to talk to the doctor about how your feeling and how you feel on certin meds...

I'm 23 and bipolar. Here's some advice for you. Keep a mood chart and keep track of your moods after a while you will start to notice a pattern.
Also keep track of what you eat and drink caffine and cholate( can pick us bipolars up then onces it wears off it brings us down and makes us feel worse well at least that's how it is for me.) exercise,drink lots of water.
Go to n.A.M.I. And d.B.S.A. Support groups. Keep a joural of your mood and eatting habbit.. Your doctor and therapist can only do so much your the one that they are trying to help. But you got to help your self by telling them how you feel and what the meds are doing to you so they can help you. I don't think the doctor was genny piging you I think he just gave you what he knew what works for other bipolar telling him what works. Most p-doctors give certin meds basiced on what has worked for that patient/ hasn't worked for that patient in the past and what his other patients that he has ,has told them what words for him, and what he has seen work though test.

Hope this helps.

LisaClor

replied on July 15th, 2009

New User

LITHIUM has be the best for me, I tried many others and wasn't impressed, especially with Depakote which made me fat cuz I was so hungry and lazy on that drug. Since Lithium is the most commonly used drug for the longest period of time, there isn't an "ulterior motive" aka incentive for Dr.'s to prescribe some new drug that the drug companies push on them. I still struggle with symptoms and I think it's cuz I have to stop smoking weed [makes me manic] and get stabilized in my personal and professional life. Catch 22. Diagnosed 12 years ago, when I was 22. Hospitalized 3 times in 3 months when I first "flipped out" and again last month after a manic episode, probably from a lot of "drama", but mostly weed. That's what my Dr. said.

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